Boom! This is a special edition of Books & Biceps and it’s one that I’ve been waiting to send for a long time…
As many of you know, after I wrote the Macho Man biography I decided to turn my time and effort to writing fiction. But not just any fiction. Not some vague concept like the ‘Great American Novel’. No. That’s not my style.
I was after something more specific. More visceral. More exciting. More “us”. I wanted to write a book that channeled the feeling I got when reading some of my favorite thrillers (and some of the most popular Books & Biceps recs).
Books from legends like Michael Crichton and David Morrell and Jack Carr and Peter Benchley and Ace Atkins and Elmore Leonard and Robert B. Parker and all of my literary heroes.
I wanted to write a book you could not put down. A book with a titanic memorable character and iconic supporting characters and drop dead one-liners and insane fight scenes and humor and heart that reminded people that reading a thriller can feel like watching your favorite action movie. And from that desire, Bear Brawl was born.
The book comes out November 10th of this year. We don’t have a cover yet. I’m not recording the audio book for another two months.
BUT, the pre-order page is LIVE and I’m too excited not to share it with you.
So let’s do the coolest thing ever. Let’s get Bear Brawl to #1 with the blank cover stand-in. Hahaha. I promise the actual cover is going to look like one of the coolest movie posters/book covers you’ve ever seen. But until then, let’s show the publishing world how fired up we are for this. How much books like this need to be written.
Oh, you want specifics of what the book is about?
Here is the OFFICIAL BEAR BRAWL BACK COVER SUMMARY:
Fight Club meets The Revenant in Bear Brawl, a heartfelt revenge-and-redemption story perfect for fans of Jaws and Rambo.
Brick Bridger, 6'6", 265 pounds, is a two-time NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion, BJJ black belt and winner of eight fights in the UFC before retiring from a knee injury to run his own wrestling academy in his home state of Arkansas. One summer night, he's running fifteen minutes late to his mom's BBQ at their family cabin and disaster strikes. A rogue 450-pound black bear goes on a rampage, breaks into the cabin, kills his mom and puts his brother in a wheelchair. Brick is devastated. Torn apart with guilt. He believes in his heart if he had been there on time he could've stopped the bear.
From that moment forward, Brick vows to get revenge on the beast. No guns. No knives. No weapons. By enlisting the help of a top zoologist, his old wrestling coach and his training partner and brother, Brick goes on a quest to get inside the mind of a bear while training to track and take down the fearsome animal. This is what happens when a mountain of a man with a black belt fights a black bear in a fist-to-paw brawl for it all.
Bear Brawl takes readers on a blockbuster adventure with heart-pounding scenes, humor, heart, bear history, William Faulkner (you'll see), and family. Dropping into the action from the first sentence, the pages fly by, covering tracking, training, fighting, philosophy, pain, grief, love and a cast of unforgettable characters you'll root for like you're watching your favorite action movie.
Here’s a SNEAK PEAK at a few blurbs for Brawl:
"Bear Brawl is Jack Reacher meets The Edge--a white-knuckled thriller that pits one man against nature's apex predator. Jon Finkel delivers a page-turner like no other."
-- "Stayton Bonner, USA Today bestselling author of Bare Knuckle and The Million-Dollar Car Detective"
"Jon Finkel's gifts as a rollicking storyteller are on full display in his thriller Bear Brawl, along with his deep expertise in what happens when we're pushed to our physical and mental limits. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll buy an extra can of bear spray next time you head into the woods."
-- "Alex Hutchinson, New York Times bestselling author of Endure and The Explorer's Gene "
And we’ve got DOZENS more on the way!
Let’s get Bear Brawl to #1 in the next 24 hours. I know we can do it…
PS: WHEN YOU ORDER, SAVE YOUR SCREEN SHOT!
I’ve got a ton of giveaways coming up as we get closer: Book plates, bookmarks, stickers, signed stuff and more!
I appreciate you reading Books & Biceps every week. This book is going to be our moment. Our time to show the publishing world that we want these books. We want Bear Brawl. And we’re going to make it the #1 Thriller of 2026!
Thank you for pre-ordering! You’re all hall of famers in my book! - Jon